Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!chinet!ward
From: ward@chinet.chi.il.us (Ward Christensen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: 10 Best/Worst for Computing in 1988
Message-ID: <7340@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 31 Dec 88 23:49:07 GMT
References: <5066@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Reply-To: ward@chinet.chi.il.us (Ward Christensen)
Organization: Chinet - Public Access Unix
Lines: 37

I'd have to put as my #1 PC software find for '88 as "Overview", by Jim
Mathews, who moved from the East coast to go the (North)West to go work
for Microsoft, and in the process sold OverView to the very competent
Magee Enterprises (the AutoMenu people).  Due to a conflict with a MAC
(?) program by the same name, the new one is now called TreeView, and is
available from Compuserve as shareware ($40 registration).
  What is it?  One of those products that is hard to describe.  Let me
call it a "disk/directory/file manager".  Main screen is a 1, 2, or 3
column file listing, sorted as you like it - name, extension, date, or
size as the key, either ascending or descending (or unsorted, i.e.
"directory order", also 'up' or 'down').
  Via customization, you can link in your own (1) browser (like Vern
Buerg's excellent LIST) and (2) editor, so that a simple alt-key while
positioned to a line will bring up one or the other.  Its built-in
browser is not bad (scroll, search, mark, goto, top, bottom, etc - but
not "mark" and "write" and other LIST goodies).
  User definable functions: You can set up to 30 function keys (all the
shift, alt, or ctrl ones) as "what ever you want" - with quite flexible
substitution of filename, or full path\filename, etc.  
  Point & shoot: in addition to executing COM and EXE files by hitting
alt-X, you can define 10 additional file extensions and the actions to
be take upon them (.bak => erase this; .arc = arc-v this, .bas = basica
this, etc).  
  Somewhat obscure, but my favorite "feature" is the use of WordStar
keys for cursor movement around the screen - makes it "so friendly" if
you know those keys.
  Fully customzable colors, start-up environment (everything from write
verify, confirm overwrites, copy tagged files, newer only, etc).
  Built-in functions for either the current (under the cursor) file or
all tagges files include: erase, copy, move, user-defined-action, change
attributes, etc.  
  Owell, enough.  It is GREAT.
  Magee Enterprises are at 6577 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Norcross GA,
30092-3796; 404-446-6611; CIS 70167-2200.
  I am not affiliated with Magee; I beta tested Overview when Jim M was
enhancing it - and he took about a dozen of my suggestions and
implemented them.